One interesting thing I noticed in May is that there seems to be a migration route that goes from east to west along the shoreline. I think there may be two migration routes near Canatara Park: one that goes from south to north and one that goes from east to west. That’s what my observations seem to point to. If anyone has information on these migration routes I would love to hear about this.

June is the month that migration starts to wind down. It can still be an interesting month. Late migrants such as Olive-sided, Willow and Alder Flycatchers, still move through in June. Some later migrating warblers are Canada and Mourning Warblers. Of course in June you also get to see what birds stay in the area to breed.

One of my favourite areas in Canatara is near the farthest west beach and apartment buildings. It also stretches into the children’s playground. I have observed the east to west migration many times in this area. This area seems to bring in rarities later in the season. Last year on May 30th I saw a Worm-eating Warbler and a Clay-colored Sparrow here. This year in late May, the same area had Red-headed Woodpecker, Prothonotary Warbler and Blue-winged Warbler. There are many oak trees here. I believe warblers like these later in the season, as oaks are one of the later trees to bud. In June of last year I had both Yellow-billed Cuckoo and Black-billed Cuckoo here. When I birded this area in May, in only a couple hours I heard or saw 51 species of birds. I believe that as more people check this area more rarities will be found. When you get a chance to check out this area of Canatara Park I think you will be quite surprised.

Congratulations to LWI board member Shawn McNight! The Bluewater Sustainability Initiative just awarded him the 2009 Suncor Sustainability Award. The award recognizes Shawn for contributing to sustainability in Sarnia-Lambton. He was selected for the creative ways he contributes to social equity, ecological integrity, and economic prosperity in our community. Shawn was born in Sarnia and has a background in fine art. Some of the ways that Shawn promotes environmental sustainability in our community is through Artwalk and The Urban Nature Centre. Keep up the good work Shawn!

To see Shawn accepting the award and to learn more about the Bluewater Sustainability Initiative visit www.bluewatersustainabilityinitiative.com.

Congratulations to LWI members John and Dorothy Tiedje! The Lambton Woodlot Association recently awarded them the 2009 Woodlot Management Award. In 1987 The Tiedje's purchased a 15 acre woodlot north of Hungry Hollow near the east side of the Ausable River in Middlesex County. The woodlot lies within the boundaries of the Ausable River Valley Life Sciences Area of Natural and Scientific Interest. The Tiedjes kept the property in it's natural state. Recently, John and Dorothy transferred ownership of the woodlot to the Thames Talbot Land Trust with an agreement that the property will be kept in it's natural state. Thank you John and Dorothy for preserving a natural space in our region!

To learn more about the Ontario Woodlot Assocation visit www.ont-woodlot-assoc.org. To learn more about the Thames Talbot Land Trust visit www.ttlt.ca.

Thank you to Ontario Power Generation (OPG) for making a generous donation to the Young Naturalists' Butterfly Garden. LWI was invited to OPG's Earth Day celebration and the donation was presented to LWI at that time. The butterfly garden is at London Road Public School. It’s a native plant garden which will attract butterflies, insects and birds. The garden also has an outdoor classroom log ring where students can have hands-on experience with nature.

Click here to learn more (and see some pictures)

Lambton Wildlife Inc. is pleased to invite you to play a critical role in helping to protect native butterfly populations.

Thanks to a significant volunteer contribution by Brenda and Ben Kulon, we are planning to publish a book that will inspire and inform many how to put a little bit of “Wild” into our gardens and backyards.

We are looking for early supporters, to be recognized as Butterfly Protectors in this publication. Your early-bird order will leverage the printing of more copies and wider distribution.

Click here to find out more

A Guide to the Natural Areas of Lambton County

This guide is intended to be a general introduction to natural areas in Lambton County. It also includes brief descriptions of significant natural areas reasonably close to, but not within, Lambton County.

Click here to download it.  (pdf - 238 Kb)

• Knowledge that your membership is going to the preservation of natural spaces in Lambton County
• Access to a variety of interesting outdoor and indoor activities
• Earthways, our newsletter

Become a Lambton Wildlife member!

Do not hesitate to contact us for more information.